Everything Else
by paigee.yovkoff
Summary: "Hey, got your message. Did you want to do something this weekend?" "If I can steal you away from your new boy-toy that would be great." - AU Season 4. McCollins throughout. Sequel to SIX MONTHS.
1. Chapter 1

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>1102**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x02**  
>AU 4x02<br>Established Andy/Nick.  
>READ AN AT THE END!**

…

When she opens the front door to her apartment building, he's leaning on his truck that's parked on the curb. There isn't a part of her that is remotely surprised. Of _course _he was there, right on 6 o'clock, not even bothered that he was waking up that early to give her a lift that she hadn't asked for. It was just so _Nick_.

"So I just got a call from Traci Nash," he tells her, looking up from his sneakers, "Telling me that if you were late to hers by even a second this morning, she would have me on desk duty for the next three weeks. At the time I may have been a little bit too terrified of her to bother questioning how she has that power, but the last time I questioned whether or not a woman could do something I was getting the silent treatment."

Andy stops just in front of him, shaking her head but still not surprised.

"Ready to go back today?"  
>"I've been looking forward to this day for six months Nick," she reminds him.<p>

He shrugs, and Andy is holding the strap of her bag close to her while lifting a hand to press gingerly on his eye. She chuckles when he winces under her touch, knowing that he wouldn't let her know just how much more it hurt.

"How's your eye?"  
>"Not bad, it's healed mostly."<br>"Oh yeah," Andy smirks, turning his face slightly to get a better look at it, "No scar, that's too bad."  
>"Hm?"<br>"Would've made you actually look like a man."

Her finger trails down from the bruise so that she's playing with the hem of his shirt.

"So Traci called _you_?"  
>"Yep. I guess she'll be grilling you for details if she hasn't already."<br>"I've spent the last week either debriefing with Narcotics, with the shrink for mandatory psych evaluations or sleeping," she says, leaning up and kissing him briefly before heading for the passenger side door, "I've spoken to you twice during that time, and Traci once. Hell, even my Dad has only gotten a _text message_ from me."  
>"You should take up your Dad's offer for dinner tomorrow night," Nick tells her casually from over the car.<br>Andy looks up at him, eyes narrow, "I _did _tell you about that, right?"

He laughs and gets in the car, the female officer slowly going over the two conversations they'd had in the last week and trying to pick out exactly when she told him about her Dad offering to make them both dinner.

…

"Okay! Okay! Alright! You win!" Traci Nash laughs from behind her as they come to a stop at a park bench, "You're ready to get back on the streets."  
>"Undercover wasn't all watching cheesy movies and hanging out at the bar. Nick and I ran 5k every other morning."<br>"You're a keener!"  
>"Shut up."<p>

Andy leans over, beginning to retie her shoelaces. She can feel Traci hovering behind her and glances over her shoulder.

"So. You and Nick, huh?"  
>"What about it?" she asks, turning back to her shoe.<br>"Gonna tell me how _that_ happened? I'm not gonna have to be pulling Gail off of you any time in the future?"  
>"Gail and Nick were trying to fix things before everything that happened," Andy tells her, standing up straight, "But Gail couldn't do it anymore. They were over before anything happened, I wouldn't do that to Gail."<br>Traci nods, slowly processing what she's said, "I believe you. Just, uh, _when _did you and G.I. Joe start, yanno, _doing the horizontal tango_?"

Resting her hands on her hips, she's trying to even her breathing again while she thinks it over.

"We'd been UC for just over 3 months. It was just a _thing_, you know? We were just letting go of stress. But Blackstone gave us a weekend, and we had two options. Come back and then leave everyone again, or go biking in Niagara," Andy explains cocking her head to the side, "We got lost on a trail and after we got back to the cabin we actually _talked_. We've got a no secrets policy and it seems to be working just fine since then."  
>"As in Nick actually has <em>secrets<em>," the detective laughs.  
>"I don't know Trace. But I do know its working. None of my last relationships lasted, and they both had one thing in common, neither of us were 100% open with each other. May not have been the reason they failed, but still something that was a problem."<p>

Traci's smiling at her, and Andy decides that she's either said something right or she has something on her face.

"What?"  
>"That's really good Andy, I'm proud of you," she smiles, "Which means you'll be okay with Sam's new girlfriend running up behind us right now?"<br>"Absolutely," Andy laughs in reply, turning around to greet the new officer with a smile.

She stands there for a few moments, watching as Traci and Marlo Cruz keep up small talk, and when the woman turns to face her, she isn't finding herself forcing the smile on her face.

"McNally right?"  
>"Yeah."<br>Marlo offers her hand while saying, "Pleasure to meet you, Marlo Cruz. Didn't get a real chance to meet last week."  
>"Yeah real pleasure," Andy says, shaking her hand.<br>"Heard a lot about you. So, uh, got another 10k to get in before shift," Marlo tells them, gesturing in the direction she's heading, "See you guys there."

Andy waves after her while her best friend turns to look at her with wide eyes. Traci's mumbling under her breath about the distance she'd just said and Andy is trying to contain a laugh.

"Come on Traci, there's coffee waiting for me in your kitchen and we have to be at work in an hour."

Her best friend is shaking her head, but as Andy starts to jog back to the car she knows that Traci is following behind her.

…

_And here we are! Another McCollins story and another day into the hiatus._

_Like I mentioned in the disclaimer. If the characters say something that you've heard before. It's because you have heard it before. From the episode mentioned._

_Anyhoo, I figure this is how it's going to go._

_Two chapters per episode. One from the beginning, one from the end. That's depending on the episode. And I'll focus on the fluffy stuff. Steer away from the angst. So it may actually finish with 4x09 and 4x10. I have something planned for 4x08, that'll recognize that episode as still being a McCollin's milestone sort of thing, but after that I don't really want to dive into all the other things that happened. It'll throw off the groove of the story and I rather like the character development that happened pre-Sam being shot. So I don't really want to dive into the saga of events that triggered __that__._

_But beside that. Two chapters an episode, depending on how much of the episode I re-write. So if I stop at 4x10, there should be close to 20 chapters! What do you say guys? A longer than 5 chapter McCollins story? Oh how will I survive! c;_

_I currently have written up to the end of 4x04, and have begun 4x05. So if all things go according to plan this should be left hanging without an update for a long duration of time. Hopefully, because school holidays only go for so long before exams!_

_Thank you!_

_All mistakes are mine._

_Review?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>873**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x02**  
>AU 4x02<br>Established Andy/Nick.**

…

Heading out into the car park, Andy is almost excited to go home. Even though she's back on shift just over 12 hours later, after wearing the uniform for so long there is a part of her that just wants to ditch the engagement party at the Penny and soak in a warm bath with a glass of red wine. Spotting Nick Collin's truck parked down by the gate has Andy counting the steps until she reaches it.

But she hears Sam Swarek call her name and she realizes that her plans never seem to go the way she wants.

"You going to the Penny?" he asks, catching up with her.  
>"Yeah."<br>"Need a lift?"  
>Over his shoulder she sees Nick heading in their direction and smiles, "I've already got one, thanks though."<p>

Sam nods, looking over his shoulder to see who she was looking at. The officer in question is caught in conversation with an officer from the next shift, and when he catches her eyes he gives her a small smile.

"Just thought I'd let you know," Sam says, looking away from Nick Collins and back at her, "Uh, you might want to visit the range."  
>"What?"<br>"Yeah. Today on the bridge, you were tea-cupping, it was a little off-"  
>"I wasn't off!"<br>"It's understandable! You've been away for a while."  
>"It wasn't off," Andy argues with a smile.<br>"It can happen."  
>"I hit the guys tire."<br>Gesturing to himself, Sam's eyebrows raise, "You didn't hits his tire."  
>"Well it wasn't you who hit his tire. It was me!"<br>"No, no, no, I'm not gonna say it was me, but yeah it was me."

Andy's laughing, a hand over her mouth as he's trying his hardest not to join in. When she quiet's down, the brunette officer pushes a loose strand of hair from her face in an attempt to distract herself. She's not willing to let the conversation turn into something she won't be able to get out of, and Andy McNally is almost certain that if she so much as opens her mouth again the topic will turn back around to them.

What they _had been_.

She's glad for Nick Collins' arrival, and the hand he places on her back as he greets her.

"Collins," the detective greets stiffly.  
>"Swarek," he nods, "Congratulations on the promotion, it was well deserved."<br>"Yeah, well, I hate wearing the uniforms in the summer. The materials itchy and the belts are way high."  
>"That they are."<p>

Glancing at the man to her right, Andy smile softly, probably even happier that they're being civil. Which she'll add to a list of achievements for Sam Swarek.

"Guess I'll see you both at the Penny then," Sam finally says after a quiet moment, "Welcome back."  
>"Thanks," she answers, looking back at her former TO with another smile.<p>

The corners of his lips twerk slightly into a smile before he's moving around them and heading to his vehicle. Andy feels the hand on her back drift to her arm, trailing down and taking her own hand before tugging her in the direction she'd been heading previously.

"Good first day back?"  
>"Could have been worse," she shrugs, "I was originally partnered with Cruz, but Oliver swapped with her. He used the excuse that he didn't want to unleash me onto her yet seeing as I'll be rusty because of the UC."<br>Nick Collins chuckles, "Definitely not because she's Swarek's new girlfriend?"  
>"Oh it couldn't have been," Andy rolls her eyes, stopping at the front of the truck.<p>

She feels him shrug from beside her before he drops her hand to reach into his pocket for the keys and unlocking the car. Nick reaches for her hand again as he opens the passenger side door for her and helps her climb in.

"You know, the uniform looked good on you today Collins," Andy tells him slowly as she sits in the passenger seat, leaning back and rolling her head so that she's looking at him as he stands at the door, "So much better than the rags you wore at the beginning of our UC."  
>"Really? Surprised it still fits <em>you<em>, actually," he jokes, cocking his head to the side.  
>"Calling me fat?"<br>"No, but you did have a weakness for that burrito place across from the apartment, I may have been a little worried."

A chuckle leaves her mouth before she's able to stop it and she's leaning down to press a kiss to the corner of his lips.

"Can't we ditch this?" Nick questions in a murmur, ghosting his lips over hers and moving a hand from the car door to cup her cheek.  
>"I was hoping to show off my handsome arm-candy tonight," Andy explains.<br>"Another night."  
>"Who says you'll survive 'til then?"<br>"Experience and luck," he shrugs with a smirk.

Shaking her head she pushes him away and gestures to the seat beside her with a nod of her head. Nick lets out a small sigh, because he knows that neither of them are going home until they make a stop at Frank Best and Noelle William's engagement party, even if it means he has to endure Gail Peck's glares from across the room.

…

_I think I'm up to 4x06. I drowned a little in study stuff after I posted the last chapter._

_That and rewatching episodes that give me feels is stupid, because I never get around to writing, I just cry instead._

_Thank you!_

_All mistakes are mine._

_Review?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>705**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x03**  
>AU 4x03<br>Established Andy/Nick.**

…

"That was fun," Andy smiles, having changed from her paint covered clothes into one of his old sweatshirts and a pair of jeans.

He has to shake his head to hide his smile, trying not to encourage her. But sights like this one hadn't gotten old, despite it almost being the only thing he saw for six months straight.

"I think we should totally do that again," she continues, smile widening, "I had a few more strategies up my sleeve that I wanted to try out, but all of the others were just too good and we won."  
>"You're so modest McNally."<br>"Oh, absolutely."

Nick stops in front of her, pulling the door open to her right and gesturing for her to get in.

"I want pancakes," she tells him casually, ducking under his arm and gripping the door for leverage.  
>"Before we showed up you wanted omelets, now you want pancakes," Nick reminds her.<br>Andy shrugs, "The polka-dots on the camel, they looked like pancakes."  
>"Sweetheart, it was a deformed giraffe."<p>

The woman in front of him rolls her eyes, as she gets herself situated in the passenger side seat.

"A polka-dotted camel," Andy presses, "And if you tell me it's not, I won't share my bacon with you."

…

Traci has been asking the same question over and over again for the last ten minutes, and Andy knows she should just humor her and answer it. But the truth was, Andy didn't know just how serious she and Nick were. They hadn't actually talked about it. And she was 100% okay with that.

"Andy, _please_?"  
>"I don't know what to tell you Traci," she shrugs, "We haven't really gone and decided to move in together or anything. We talk, there are absolutely no secrets allowed and all that stuff."<br>"Don't give me that bullshit again. I know that was his sweatshirt after paintball."  
>"I stole a jumper, so what?"<br>Traci groans, "That's serious! Stealing his jumpers, you obviously have spent more than one night at his place. I bet you even have a drawer!"

As they turned the corner into the division's main hallway, Andy thought about it. She wouldn't tell Traci that she was right, but she didn't have one drawer. Andy McNally had migrated at least half of her wardrobe into his, and he'd done the same at her apartment. She had just become so used to him being around that they spent just about every night together, and if they didn't spend the night together it was because they were on night rotations and partnered with another person.

"_Andy_," her best friend whines, "You've got to give me something here!"  
>"We lived together for six months, we just got used to having each other around," Andy says, trying to shrug it off as a casual thing.<br>"You're hopeless," Traci accused her with a shake of her head, waving goodbye as she went into the break room.

Andy lets out a chuckle, stopping abruptly before she promptly collides with Sam Swarek.

"You look like you worked all weekend," the officer smirks, giving her former Training Officer a once over.  
>"Oh I did. What did you do?"<br>Andy grins, "Paintball."

There's a flicker of something over Sam Swarek's face that Andy can almost pass of as jealousy as he lets out a breath.

"You win?"  
>"Yep, I rocked it."<br>"Nothing you like more than a little competition huh?" he asks, eyebrows raised slightly.  
>"Oh yeah," Andy laughs, beginning to walk past him, "Because I have a special talent."<br>"Yeah, and that is?"  
>Turning around, taking carefully measured steps backwards Andy shrugs, "Take a guess Detective."<p>

…

"Hey I got something for you," Nick says, holding a toothpick over his shoulder to Andy.  
>She frowns, glancing down at the object before back up at the board, "Why would I need that?"<br>"Oh I know you, you're going to need something to chew today."

He looks over his shoulder at her with a smile, her eyebrows are creased as she searches the board for her name and partner. There's a flicker of recognition when she finds it, and Nick isn't surprised to see her roll her eyes at him but still take the tooth pick with thanks.

…

_Third chapter and I've already slipped in posting._

_Despite school holidays, trial exams have kicked my ass and I'm just like – bleh._

_Here we go though!_

_All mistakes are mine._

_Thank you!_

_Review?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>689**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x02**  
>AU 4x03<br>Established Andy/Nick.**

…

The phone in her pocket vibrates, and Andy is washed over with relief when she sees Nick Collins name on her phone screen.

"_Save me_," is his greeting and the bluntness has a laugh escaping her.  
>"I take it that Gail Peck is being ever so delightful today?" she questions with a smirk, looking around to check that her partner for the day is still in sight as she asks questions.<br>"_She's trying to make me drink this thing she's doing for a cleanse, I'm scared she's poisoned it._"  
>"Well I just visited Wanda."<br>There's a crash in the background and Nick lets out a long breath, "_She doing okay?_"  
>"Yeah, I hope so after today. The kid across the hall was terrorizing her again, sparked a bit of an episode. Other than that she's fine."<br>"_Your partner fine too?_"

Andy's eyes are on Marlo, watching her as she thanked a kid for the information and began walking back towards the squad car.

"_Andy?_"  
>"Yeah she's good. Different, kind of. I don't know," Andy shrugs to herself.<br>"_I take it this is a conversation best had with alcohol at home?_"

_Home_. The words brings the smile back to Andy's face.

"Yeah. I'll see you back at the station at end of shift, yeah?"  
>"<em>That you will<em>," he assures her, "_Have fun with Cruz_."  
>"Have fun with Peck."<p>

She hears him chuckle and pulls the phone away from her ear as the line goes dead, tucking it securely back into her pocket she looks up just as Marlo stops in front of her.

"Anything?"  
>"Nothing," she shrugs, "Let's just keep going down the list McNally, someone will have something for us."<p>

…

He hears through the grapevine of officers in the hall, and it takes almost everything – including Oliver Shaw pushing him back into the chair at the front desk – not to wait by her locker for her to finish with SIU. She finds him though, eventually, while he's standing there with Gail Peck outside the locker rooms while she explains what she's doing with _Ernie_.

He has to resist making a comment about the fact that the Ice Queen has named an urn as he runs a hand up Andy McNally's arm to the collar of her shirt to right it.

"Hey," she murmurs, turning to Gail, "Where is it?"  
>Peck frowns, "Where's what?"<br>"This cleanse stuff. Come on, hit me with it."  
>"You want to try it?" she asks, wide eyes and a hint of a smile on her lips.<p>

The woman beside him shrugs, and he groans when Gail pulls the bottle from her purse.

"Nicholas Collins, you're such a baby," Andy tells him, using one hand to block her nose and the other to tilt the bottle back against her lips.

He watches her swallow the substance, her nose screwed up and her eyes tightly shut as it passes down her throat.

"Peck, that's disgusting."  
>"All worth it in the end," the blonde shrugs, a triumphant smile on her face when she accepts the bottle back, only to hold it in Nick Collins' direction.<br>With a shake of his head he holds a hand out, palm towards her, "No thank you."  
>"You suck."<br>"I just don't want the taste of whatever that is to ruin the taste of any food I digest tonight."

There's a chuckle from Andy, and a comment made under her breath about omelets as Gail Peck tucks the bottle back into her bag and begins to bid them farewell.

"We'll see you at the Penny right?" Andy asks, stopping the blonde before she could leave.  
>"Uh, yeah," Peck nods slowly, "Yeah later on."<br>"Good, see you then Peck."

A frown makes its way onto her face for a flicker of a moment, before she gives a timid wave and turns around, leaving them on their own in the middle of the hall.

"What was that?" Nick questions.  
>"My talent," she smiles, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.<br>"And that is?"  
>"I know when to give up, Nicholas Collins," Andy explains, "And I'm not giving up on the Ice Queen just yet."<p>

…

_So my first year twelve exam is in exactly a week and two days._

_NaNoWriMo starts in four days._

_My year 11 exams start in about two weeks._

_Kill me. Please._

_But here is a chapter, despite the delay, it has been written for a while. So Merry Christmas or whatever – because that will probably be when I regain any of my free time._

_Thank you!_

_All mistakes are mine._

_Review?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>590**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x02**  
>AU 4x04<br>Established Andy/Nick.**

…

"_Jar!_"

Andy's voice carries across the small living space to Nick Collins, and he can only roll his eyes. She'd placed the jar on the console of his truck a week ago, claiming that any un-necessary talk about Afghanistan would incur a fine. She'd stated that he was in Toronto, and that they did not need to know about the food rationing system while on tour oversees.

He drops a couple of silver coins into the jar, and makes his way over to the Esky and starts restacking any of the drinks already placed in their by the woman in question. He would say something to her about being taught how to conserve space in the Army, but he was running out of silver change in his wallet.

"Is this enough?" she asks, handing him the cans stacked in her hands.  
>"Uh," he looks between her and the Esky, "Couple more. Just to be safe."<br>"Really? Okay, going to need a bigger boat."

Nick smirks, eyes following her as she shrugs before heading back to the fridge. For a moment, he listens to Dov Epstein bicker with Traci Nash, then hears the distinctive sound of wheels rolling over timber flooring. He turns around to see Andy chastising Gail, who stands beside a deep red suitcase topped by a smaller one.

"I've never been camping before, I plead ignorance," the blonde officer claims, "Do we honestly have to do this? Can't we spend the long weekend kicking Dov's ass at Modern Warfare?"  
>"<em>Gail<em>," Andy groans, causing Nick to chuckle and stand up.  
>Moving to the suitcases, Nick shakes his head, "It's okay, I've got loads of room in my rucksack."<br>"Oh, the upside to us having someone with us who is used to sleeping in the sand," Gail remarks, rolling her eyes and leaning against the wall.  
>"Well, actually it's a lot of small fertile valleys in Afghanistan-"<br>Andy pushes past him, "Jar."

The ex-soldier groans, throwing his head back slightly before moving to drop the remainder of his silver change in the jar.

"I'm going to go broke," he tells her when she comes back past him.  
>Andy smirks, "But for a good cause army-boy. That money is going to buy our drinks at the Penny. The good stuff."<p>

…

After leaving Parade, Andy makes a bee-line to the coffee station. Beginning to feel as though she's one awkward encounter with an ex-boyfriend away from losing some of her sanity.

"Swap with me," Nick's voice in her ear asks.  
>"Oh no," she shakes her head, pulling the jug from the coffee maker, "I am not doing that with you today. I'd much rather work with Peck."<br>"Well Peck is less likely to talk your ear off."  
>"It's just routine traffic stops to help out the detectives, you probably won't even talk to each other," Andy shrugs, filling a foam cup and handing it to him.<br>"Yeah, hopefully."

Andy nudges him in the stomach with her elbow, and smirks as he feigns injury. Adding cream to the coffee in front of her, she carefully presses a lid down onto it before she turns around to face him.

"I'll see you at the end of shift, yeah?"  
>Nick takes a sip from the coffee in his hand and the corners of his lips turn up into a small smile, "Yeah you will McNally."<p>

Gail Peck calls out to her, and Andy smiles at him before leaving. Routine traffic stops, it would be simple, honestly. She didn't understand what he was whining about.

…

_So I have officially finished Sociology and English Literature forever. OMG. I'M SO FREAKING HAPPY._

_And I only have one more math exam and my Psychology exam to go before I've officialy finished year eleven. And then on the 25__th__, I officially start my course work for my final year of high school education. Gosh, it's so exciting and so scary all at once. And I'm unsure if my tummy feels funny because I'm nervous, or because I ate cheese today. Eh, who knows._

_Anyway. I'm officially up to writing the second chapter for 4x09, which is great, because it means that when everything is settled down I can just post regularly without having to freak out about being behind in writing – like NaNoWriMo. Yeah. I just gave up again because November is the shittest month ever. Maybe I'll do it in like, April or something. Nothing happens in April._

_Thank you!_

_All mistakes are mine._

_Review?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>632**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x04**  
>AU 4x04<br>Established Andy/Nick.**

…

When he arrives, Nick finds her sitting on the stairs nursing a beer. He stops to get his own before making his way to her without another thought. She's quiet when he sits down, too quiet. Quiet and Andrea McNally never did go well together, he'd realized that very early on in their time together UC.

"So this isn't camping," he murmurs, uncapping the beer and nudging her shoulder with his.  
>"No it's not," Andy smiles, "I guess all you're military training on how to pack light went to waste on this one."<br>"Well this is still good."  
>"This is better."<p>

Glancing across at her, he finds her scanning her eyes over their small gathering, stopping for a moment of Chris Diaz and Denise.

"I heard about today," Nick says, turning to face her, "With that boy. Gail said you were staying behind at the hospital to make sure he gets on okay."  
>Andy nods slowly, tipping her head back and taking a swig from the sweating bottle in her hands, "He's a good kid. Just wanted to make sure he knew that, I guess."<br>"Well you did good, Andy McNally. Did the division proud."

There's a flicker of a smile on her lips again, and Nick lets out a long breath as he thinks over his next words. He watches her, carefully moving to take the bottle from her hands and place it on the step behind her.

"Are you honestly okay Andy?" the ex-soldier questions, "It's been a tough week and a bit, and we never talked about what happened with Wanda, and after today I think you need to let it all out."  
>"Marlo was just following protocol and got to the end solution before I did," Andy tells him, repeating the same thing she'd said to countless other people after the incident.<br>"But it was Wanda. I know you, you invested yourself and your time in that woman, in making sure she was okay."  
>She shrugs, "I don't know what to say Nick. What am I supposed to tell you that I haven't told the department shrink or SIU?"<br>"What you're really feeling right now," Nick prompts, "That's always a good place to start."

He knows that she'll avoid the question, it's her classic style of dealing with these situations. And he'll let her, for a moment. But it will come up again, because Nick Collins understood that the bucket of "Andy-McNally-avoidance" would soon spill over. It was only a matter of time.

"I feel fine," she finally says, "After that day, the only real thing that was eating at me, after talking to Marlo in the locker rooms and going to see that damned shrink, was some stupid comment made by Traci that morning."  
>"Which was?"<br>"She was trying to gauge just how serious we were."  
>He watches her shrug again, trying to shake it off as just a casual question, "And what did you say to that?"<br>"We've gotten used to each other being around. Six months living together can do that to you. And we talk, you know, the no-secrets policy? Because the truth is that I honestly couldn't care how serious we are," Andy explains, "I'm with you, right? We're here, we made it back home, we're _together_. That's all that matters, right?"

It catches him off-guard. Andy McNally, one of the strongest, capable women he'd ever met, unsure of where she stood in a person's life.

"If it makes any difference," Nick murmurs, resting a hand on her arm to turn her towards him, "I am very serious about you, Andrea McNally."

She smiles, it's small and shy and he has to restrain from kissing the indecisiveness of her face. She'd understand just how serious he meant, one day. Just not right then.

…

_So I have officially finished year 11. I have two days off, two days of work, then I start the year 12 curriculum on Monday. That weird nervous feeling is still in my tummy, but like the other day I did eat cheese. So yeah. Maybe not._

_Still on 4x09, I've spent all my time studying for that stupid Psych exam – didn't ace it, but definitely didn't fail. In Psych that is all I can hope for really – but in between crying over Agents of SHIELD and cleaning, I'll be working on it tonight and tomorrow. Maybe I'll even start a proper plan for 4x11/12, see if I can do that for realz._

_Thank you!_

_All mistakes are mine._

_Review?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Everything Else.  
>Words: <strong>543**  
>Couple: <strong>Andy McNally and Nick Collins.**  
>TV Show: <strong>Rookie Blue.**  
>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters you recognize do not belong to me. Direct quotes used are from 4x05**  
>AU 4x05<br>Established Andy/Nick.**

…

When Andy wakes, there's a smell wafting through Nick Collins' apartment that she'd become accustomed to over the last seven or so months. A tinge of coffee, cooking eggs and crispy bacon. The smells alone were enough to make her mouth water and stomach growl ever so slightly. She rolls over and blindly reaches for her phone on the left bedside table, knocking her watch and an empty plastic cup off in the process. Lifting it to be in her line of vision, she notes the time as seven-am and sees that her mother texted her sometime last night to check in on how she'd been doing.

Sitting up, Andy pulls her knees up to her chest, the blankets coming with them and being tucked up against her collarbone, and dials her mother's number. As the call connects, the bedroom door is nudged open, and Nick walks in balancing a plate in one hand and his grip on two mugs of coffee at the same time.

"_Andy, morning sweetheart_," Claire's voices greets her.  
>"Hey, got your message. Did you want to do something this weekend?" she asks, smiling up at her partner as he places the two mugs on the bedside table and sits down on the bed beside her.<br>"_If I can steal you away from your new boy-toy that would be great_."  
>Rolling her eyes, Andy reaches across to take a piece of bacon off the plate on Nick's lap, "Yes you can, and honestly Claire, really?"<br>"_Oh don't chastise your mother Andrea,_" the woman orders, a hint of a laugh following her statement, "_I'll have to call you about it later, I'm being called away by the bosses. Have a good shift sweetie_."  
>"Okay, I'll talk to you then."<p>

The phone disconnects as Andy takes a bite of the bacon between her fingers. Nick uses his free hand to pluck the phone from her hand and toss it on the bed, leaning over to kiss her briefly.

"Good morning," he murmurs, pulling away enough to pass her the plate and take one of the mugs off the bedside table.  
>"Hey," she smiles, watching him take a sip, "You're up early."<br>Nick shrugs, "Someone hogged all the blankets last night."  
>"No I didn't."<br>"And how would you know Officer McNally?" he questions, smirking at the appalled look on her face at the suggestion that she would do that.

Shaking her head, Andy finishes the bacon in her hand before grabbing another piece and taking a bite.

"There's omelets in the kitchen as well," he tells her, stealing a piece from the plate for himself, "I knew we wouldn't have time so I wrapped them for later."  
>"Smart thinker, must be from all those years in the army."<br>"Hm, maybe."

Nick shrugs, taking a bite from the bacon and lying back on the bed. Tilting her head to the side, Andy gives him a once over, placing the plate on the bedside table and moving so that she was leaning over him.

"Give me ten minutes in the bathroom and we should be good to go," she says, dipping down to press a kiss to his cheek before pushing herself off the bed, "You damn well better not forget those omelets, soldier-boy."

…

_I need fluffy McCollins because I'm dying from school work._

_Officially finished my first two weeks of year 12 curriculum last Thursday and I'm drowning in homework, plus I'm 5 hours into a 37 hour work week. I'm crying, but I'm also so happy because money for more books – not that I need it. There's no room on my bookshelves. It's so sad._

_Oh. And the Hiatus has officially begun killing me. Ugh._

_Thank you!_

_All mistakes belong to me._

_Review?_


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